From July 10-14, 2017, TU Dresden (TUD) hosted the first "Iran Week" with the goal of supporting the initiation of German-Iranian collaborations.

In this context, workshops on intercultural competences and comprehensive information on funding opportunities were aimed at creating a basis for joint funding applications and scientific co-operation. The programme at TU Dresden included a symposium on renewable energies, the intercultural seminar "Successful in Iran", and German-Iranian workshops.

Among the 80 participants were 26 senior staff members and renowned scientists from the Shiraz and Tehran partner universities as well as from the universities of Kerman and Amirkabir and the Iranian Petroleum University of Technology.

Central to the week was a DFG-funded “Ideenstudio” on funding opportunities and the successful management of German-Iranian research projects with participation throughout Germany. Speakers from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research ((BMBF), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the German Rectors' Conference presented concepts for strategic support as well as current programmes for promoting German-Iranian science collaborations.
Subsequently, experts reported on their experiences of bilateral projects of both countries that are already underway. After a panel discussion providing examples of "best practice", the participants were able to establish new contacts and develop their ideas at a networking event in the Botanical Garden of TUD.

"In the shape of Iran Week, we want to contribute to reducing potential prejudices towards and misperceptions of this country and to clear the way for better scientific collaboration," explained the organiser, Dr. Udo Krause.
The Iran Week was set up by TU Dresden’s Project Scouts and financed by the University’s Institutional Strategy.

One hundred and sixteen Iranian students are currently studying at TU Dresden. The number of Iranian students in Germany and of graduates and scholars receiving DAAD funding is increasing annually. Already back in 2014, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) opened a new office in Tehran. Today, a number of alumni are working on joint German-Iranian research projects as well as on intensifying university collaboration. A whole generation of Iranian scientists have been trained at German universities.
The interest in cultural exchange is strong on both sides, according to information from the Federal Foreign Office. This is not only true of bilateral scientific relations: since the nuclear dispute between Iran and the EU was settled in 2015, and after the lifting of the EU's economic sanctions in 2016, trade between Iran and Germany has also been gaining momentum again.